REC- Strawberry Cheesecake Torte

[crewsk]

Hubby made this for our church's mens cake bake a couple of years ago & I'm making it for a family cake bake we are having Sunday at church. I'll have to take pics of it when I get done with it Saturday because it is just beautiful, not to mention yummy!


1 pkg (16oz) pound cake mix (plus ingredients to make cake) or your favorite pound cake recipe
1/2C. water
1 pkg (3oz) strawberry gelatin
1/4C. seedless strawberry jam
1 lemon
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3C. cold milk
1 container (12oz) Cool Whip, thawed
1 pkg (3.4oz) cheesecake instant pudding & pie filling
1 kiwi, peeled, halved lengthwise & sliced
1C. hulled & sliced strawberries


Preheat oven to 400F. Line 10x15 1/2 inch sheet pan with sides with parchent. Prepare cake mix according to package directions or your favorite plain pound cake recipe; spread evenly into line pan. Bake 15-18 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean; cool 10 minutes in pan. Carefull lift cake out onto wire cooling rack; cool completely.

In small bowl, microwave watwer on hight 1-2 minutes or until boiling. Add gelatin; stir until dissolved. Add jam & whisk until smooth. Invert cake onto flat surface, such as large cutting board, remove parchment. Prick cake with a fork at 1/2 inch intervals. Brush cake evenly with all but 2Tbsp. gelatin mixture. Trim 1/4 inch around cake; discarde edges. Cut cake crosswise into 3 equal layers.

Zest lemon; set zest aside. Juice lemon to measure 2Tbsp. juice. In large bowl, mix cream cheese & lemon juice until smooth. Add milk & whisk until smooth. Spoon Cool Whip over cream cheese mixture(do not mix). Sprinkle with pudding mix; mix well. Mixture will be very thick.

Place one cake layer on large serving plate. Fill piping bag fitted with a star tip with cream cheese mixture. Pipe a straight border around cake layer. Spoon about 1/4 of cream cheese mixture down center of cake layer & spread evenly. Top with second cake layer & repeat. For third layer, pipe a decorative border around edge, spread any ramaining cream heese mixture down center.

Arrange kiwi on top of cake just inside the border. Place strawberries & reserved gelatin mixture into small bowl; mix gently. (If gelatin has set, microwave on high 5-10 seconds or until softened.) Spoon strawberries over center of cake, sprinkle with reserved lemon zest.

Makes 16 servings.

 

[PA Baker]

I'm copying and pasting! This sounds so good--and very rich! I can't wait to see yours. I'm sure it looks beautiful all put together.

 

[crewsk]

PA, it is rich but I could still eat the whole thing by myself!

 

[middie]

oh yum i love cheesecake. this sounds so good crewsk !

 

[designerobsessed]

This sounds absolutely amazing!! I'm printing it out now. We're invited to a cookout next saturday & i volunteered to bring dessert - guess what I'm bringing!?!?! Just curious, there really is a cheesecake pudding mix? I've never seen it. Is it made by Jello?

 

[crewsk]

Yes to both questons designerobsessed. I think it's fairly new but it's out there. One of my favorite things to do with it is either make or buy a graham cracker crust, mix the pudding following the pie filling directions, fill the crust & top with whipped cream & white chocolate shavings. It's also good with a layer of fruit between the pudding & whipped cream. Let me know how the torte turns out for you! When hubby made it for church, he tied with my dad, who had made a dirt cake in a flower pot, for best looking cake.

 

[crewsk]

As promised here are the pics! I just finished with it & I can't wait to eat it!

 

[designerobsessed]

I bought everything to make the torte. I even found the pudding. I'll make the pound cake from scratch. But where's the pictures?

 

[SierraCook]

Your cake looks lovely, crewsk. Good job. I am sure that it will be the best cake tonight at the cake bake. Good luck!!

 

[crewsk]

Designerobsessed, it may take a minute for the pics to load. Let me know how it turns out for you!


Thanks SC! It won best looking!

 

[SierraCook]

Congrats, crewsk!! I knew you had a winner. I hope that your family had a good time.

 

[Piccolina]

Okay, strawberries are officially getting bumped up to the top of my next grocery list!

p.s.
Crewsk your presentation was lovely, congrats on the win!

 

[crewsk]

Thanks SC & IC!!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I wonder if this could be constructed using a baked cheesecake recipe rather than with the pudding cheesecake. I'm almost thinking I would have to make a creamier and lighter cheesecake verses the very dense and firm New York style cheesecake that I'm accustomed to making. I think the recipe idea is great. But like everything else, and to quote Paul Anka's famous lyrics, I'm going to have to say, "I did it my way."


Again, the idea is fabulous, and the cake looks wonderful. Good job Crewsk!

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[crewsk]

Thanks Goodweed! That's a good idea, using a cheesecake. I'm thinking of playing around with it a bit myself. I think chocolate incorperated some way would be a nice change, use raspeberry jam & gelatin instead of the strawberry & top it with raspberries.

 

[designerobsessed]

Whaaaa, the pics don't come up on my screen!!

 

[licia]

crewsk, the recipe looks great and the pictures are also. It reminded me of a more homestyle recipe a friend gave me years ago called Panic. I will post it in another thread, but hate to head up the post "panic" - it may frighten someone!!!

 

[crewsk]

I'll be looking for it licia! Thanks!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Crewsk: I like your idea of raspberries with gelatin for the topping. Let me add to that just a bit. When the gelatine has cooled, add semi-sweet chocolate chips to the raspberry/gelatine mixture, or spread the gelatine over the top and drizzle ganache in pretty threads accross the whole thing, letting it drip in threads down the sides. That should make people stand up and take notice!

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[crewsk]

Goodweed, that just sounds sinful! Thanks!!